Portable fire extinguisher



Aug. 7, 1951 J. H. STROOP PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Dec. 6, 1949ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT orrice PORTABLE FIREEXTINGUISHER John H. .Stroop, New York, N. 11, assignor to SpecialtiesDevelopment Corporation, Belleville, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication December 6, 1949, Serial No. 131,454

tubefor conducting the fluid medium the discharge valve.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to simplify theconstruction and assembly of portable fire extinguishers of theforegoing type. and to reduce the cost thereof.

Another object is to so coordinate the elements of the extinguisher thatthe number of parts heretoiore required is reduced without any sacrificein the efliciency of the extinguisher.

A further object is to prevent obstruction of the discharge passage ofthe valve upon operation of the safety discharge means.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice. r

In accordance with the invention, the foregoing objects are accomplishedby constructing the extinguisher in such a manner that a container forstoring the fluid medium cooperates with a simple valve body to positionan annular disc between the outlet of the container and the outlet ofthe valve body, which disc serves both as safety discharge means and theseat for a valve member adapted to control discharge of the fluid mediumat will. In the event a syphon tube is utilized, a spring serves to urgethe valve member on its seat and to hold the syphon tube in place withinthe container. Provision is made for preventing the valve member and/orinner portion of the disc from obstructing the discharge passage uponrupture of the disc due to excessive pressure.

In an illustrative embodiment of the invention about to be described,such an extinguisher comprises in combination: a container having anexteriorly threaded outlet spud formed with an annular sealing zone atthe outer end thereof; a valve body having an interiorly threaded bore 4Claims. (Cl. 169-31) passage in fluid flow communication with the boreand an annular shoulder between the bore and passage positioned over thesealing zone; an

annular disc having an outer marginal portion secured between the sealinzone and shoulder, a central aperture serving as a valve port betweenthe container and the valve body outlet passage and an annular zonebetween the marginal portion and the aperture for facilitating ruptureof the disc; a valve member for closing the port at the container sideof the disc; and operating means for moving the valve member to unclosethe port to thereby control at will the discharge of the fluid medium.

The valve body has a shoulder in the outlet passage which is engaged bythe ruptured inner portion of the disc to prevent this portion fromobstructing the passage and means are provided for preventing the valvemember from moving into engagement with this portion or otherwiseobstructin the discharge passage.

In such arrangements, where a syphon tube is utilized, the outlet spudis further formed with an internal shoulder. A syphon tube extends intothe container having a flange supported on the shoulder of the spud andhaving a shoulder positioned inwardly of the flange, and a spring isseated on the syphon tube shoulder and engages the valve member to urgethe same towards its seat.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawing,forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a portable fire extinguisherembodying the present invention.

Figur 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section and partly inelevation, illustrating the upper end of the extinguisher in detail withthe parts thereof in their normal position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the parts in their positionafter rupture of the disc.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Figure 1 thereof,there is shown a portable fire extinguisher comprising a metalliccontainer or cylinder l0 adapted for storing liquefied carbon dioxide orother like fluid medium under pressure, a discharge control head I 1including a valve body [2 (Figures 2 and 3), a handgrip I4 and amanually operable trigger l5, and a horn or shield l6 connected to thevalve body for directing carbon dioxide to a flre. 4

adapted for securement on the spud, a Outlet 56 As illustrated in Figure2, the container in has escapes an externally threaded neck or outletspud 24 provided with an opening 2| which may be formed with an internalshoulder 22 or like means for supporting a syphon tube 24, as will bedescribed hereinafter. The outer end of the spud has an annular sealingzone 25 surrounding the opening 2| and serving a purpose about to bemade apparent.

The valve body I2 is generally cylindrical or cap-shaped; and has anaxial extending bore comprising a lower interiorly threaded section 28adapted for securement to the spud 29, an annular shoulder 21 above thesection 26, an in- I termediate outlet passage including a section 29 ofsmaller diameter than the section 28, a section 99 of smaller diameterthan the section 29, shoulder means 3| between the sections 29 and 39and a lateral opening 92 in the section 39 in fluid flow communicationwith the horn or shield, and an upper section 34 of relatively smalldiameter.

. An apertured disc 35 is seated on the sealing zone 25 and ispositioned over the container openin'g 2|. This disc may be of the typeillustrated and described in my copending application for United StatesLetters Patent Serial Number 667,902, filed May 7, 1946, which isadapted to serve as both a valve seat and safety discharge member.

The disc 95 as shown herein is generally annular in shape, and has anouter marginal portion secured between the sealing zone 25 and the valvebody shoulder 21 and has a central aperture 96 serving as a valve port.The inner portion of the disc, between its outer marginal portion andits aperture, extends inwardly across the container opening and isunsupported by the shoulder 21. This disc is constructed and arranged torupture along an annular zone between the inner and outer portionsthereof and be displaced in the (event the pressure of the medium in thecontainer exceeds a predetermined safe value. Rupture of the disc alongthis zone is facilitated by hardening the inner portion and/or byproviding an annular groove 31 at this zone by reducing the thickness ofthe disc by, a coinin operation or the like.

A valve member 49 is positioned below the disc 95 for closing the portprovided by the aperture 99, and is adapted to be moved by a stem 4i tounclose the port which extends outwardly through the upper bore section94. The stem is adapted to be moved downwardly on the trigger I! whichis pivotally mounted on the valve body.

The syphon tube 24 has an outwardly extending or enlarged upper endportion such as a flange 42 supported on the shoulder means 22 and hasan inwardly extending or constructed portion such as a shoulder 44 belowthe flange 42 supporting a spring 45 or the like for urging the valvemember 49 towards the disc.

It will be appreciated that th extinguisher can be easily assembled toposition the parts as shown in Figure 2. For example, the syphon tube isdropped into the container opening, the spring is placed in the upperend of the syphon tube, the valve stem is inserted through the discaperture and is then inserted into the upper bore section of the valvebody, and the valve body is threaded on the spud to position the valvemember and the disc and to seal the container.

In normal operation, the trigger is engaged manually and is pivoted tomove the stem 4i downwardly to unseat the valve member and permlt fluidmedium in the container to be discharged through the disc aperture 90,the outlet passage, the opening 92 and the horn I8.

In the event that the pressure of the fluid medium in the containerexceeds a predetermined safe value, the disc is adapted to rupture andbe displaced as shown in Figure 3. The contents then will be dischargedthrough the opening in the outer marginal portion of the disc which isretained between the sealing zone 25 and the shoulder 21, the discaperture 38 in the inner portion, and the outlet passage opening 32.

It will be noted that the detached inner disc portion is displacedupwardly and is held against the shoulder means Si by the fluid mediumbeing discharged, and is prevented by this shoulder means fromobstructing the discharge outlet passage or from becoming lodged thereinin a manner to make removal and displacement thereof dimcult.

Also, it will be noted that the valve member 40 is prevented fromreclosing the aperture 39 in the detached inner disc portion by limitingits upward movement under the influence of the spring. This isaccomplished by limiting the upward movement of the trigger portion 49engaging the stem 4i, for example, by the top of the handgrip casing at59, whereby the portion 49 acts as a stop to maintain the stem in aposition to hold the valv member 40 in spaced relation to the inner discportion to provide sufflcient clearance for discharge of the fluidmedium through the disc aperture.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the presentinvention provides an improved portable fire extinguisher constructed ofa minimum number of simple, inexpensive elements which are readilymanufactured and assembled. The container, the valve body, the valvemember and the disc cooperate to provide a seal for the container, asimple valve and safety discharge means thereby eliminating the use ofcomplicated valve structures and greatly reducing the number of pointsat which leakage of the fluid medium from the container can occur. Theparts of the flre extinguisher are rugged in construction and canreadily withstand such rough usage to which they normally may besubjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpretedas illustrativeand not in any limiting sense.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application forUnited States Letters Patent, Serial Number 711,995, flled November 23,1946 now Patent Number 2,548,750, dated April 10, 1951, in which thepresent invention is fully illustrated but not claimed.

I claim:

1. A portable fire extinguisher comprising in combination: a containerfor storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threadedspud'formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof andhaving an outlet; a valve body having a bore provided with an interiorlythreaded portion adapted for securement on said spud, an outlet passagein fluid flow communication with said bore and an annular shoulder insaid bore positioned over said sealing zone; a disc having anouter-marginal portion secured betweensaid sealing zone and shoulder, aninner portion over said spud outlet provided with .a central apertureserving as a valve port for conducting fluid medium from said containerto said outlet passage, and an annular zone between said outer and innerportions so constructed and arranged to facilitate rupture of said discat said zone; a valve member at the container side of said disc normallyclosing said valve port to confine the fluid medium in said container,whereby pressure of the fluid medium acts on said valve member and saiddisc and upon exceeding a predetermined value causes the disc to ruptureto release the fluid medium in the container through said outletpassage; and mechanism operable at will to move said valve member toun-- close said port.

2. A portable fire extinguisher comprising 1n combination: a containerfor storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threadedspud formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof andhaving an outlet formed with internal shoulder means; a valve bodyhaving a bore provided with an interiorly threaded portion adapted forsecurement on said spud, an outlet passage in fluid flow communicationwith said bore and an annular shoulder in said bore positioned over saidsealing zone; a disc having an outer marginal portion secured betweensaid sealing zone and shoulder, an inner portion over said spud outletprovided with a central aperture serving as a valve port for conductingfluid medium from said container to said outlet passage, and an annularzone between said outer and inner portions so constructed and arrangedto facilitate rupture of said disc at said zone; a valve member at thecontainer side of said disc normally closing said valve port to con finethe fluid medium in said container, whereby pressure of the fluidmediumacts on said valve member and said disc and upon exceeding apredetermined value causes the disc to rupture to release the fluidmedium in the container through said outlet passage; and mechanismoperable at will to move said valve member to unclose said port; asyphon tube extending into said container having a flange supported onsaid shoulder means of said spud and having shoulder means inwardlypositioned of said flange; and a spring seated on said syphon tubeshoulder means and engaging said valve member to urge said valve membertowards said disc and to maintain said syphon tube flange on itssupporting shoulder means.

3. A portable flre extinguisher comprising in combination: a containerfor storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threadedspud formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof andhaving an outlet; a valve body having a bore provided with an interiorlythreaded portion adapted for securement on said spud, an outlet passagein fluid flow communication with said bore and an annular shoulder insaid bore positioned over said sealing zone; a disc having an outermarginal portion secured between said sealing zone and shoulder, aninner portion over said spud outlet provided with a central apertureserving as a valve port for conducting fiuid medium from said containerto said outlet passage and an annular zone between said outer and innerportions so constructed and arranged to facilitate rupture of said discat said zone; a valve member at the container side of said disc normallyclosing said valve port to confine the fluid medium in said container,whereby pressure of the fluid medium acts on said valve member and saiddisc and upon exceeding a predetermined value causes the disc to ruptureto release the fluid medium in the container through said outletpassage; said outlet passage having shoulder means therein adjacent saidfirst shoulder but spaced therefrom serving as a stop for preventing thedetached inner portion of said disc from obstructing said outletpassage; and mechanism operable at will to move said valve member tounclose said port including stop means for maintaining said valve memberout of engagement with the detached inner portion of said disc when inengagement with said stop shoulder means.

4. A portable flre extinguisher comprising in combination: a containerfor storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threadedspud formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof andhaving an outlet; a valve body having a bore provided with an interiorlythreaded portion adapted for securement on said spud, an outlet passagein fluid flow communication with said bore and an annular shoulder insaid bore positioned over said sealing zone; a disc having an outermarginal portion secured between said sealing zone and shoulder, aninner portion over said spud outlet provided with a central apertureserving as a valve port for conducting fluid medium from said containerto said outlet passage and an annular zone between said outer and innerportions so constructed and arranged to facilitate rupture of said discat said zone; a valve member at the container side of said disc normallyclosing said valve port to conventing the detached inner portion of saiddisc I upon rupture thereof from obstructing said outlet passage; andstop means cooperating with said valve member moving means formaintaining said valve member out of engagement with the detached innerportion of said disc when in engagement with said stop shoulder means.

JOHN H. STROOP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 564,812 Winne July 28, 18961,041,945 Anderson Oct. 22, 1912 1,740,420 Friedman Dec. 17, 19292,106,176 Huflman Jan. 25, 1938

